Spanning the globe at the table
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- January
- 23
When it comes to food, my boys are as different as night and day.
My 13-year-old will try just about anything. He likes sushi, curry goat, jerk chicken, most greens and just about any kind of fruit.
My 8-year-old sums up his palate this way: “I eat what I like, Mom.” He actually said this on Friday as he ate a Coney Island burger (burger with barbecue sauce and bacon – the bacon has to be on a separate plate) at Brooklyn’s Famous Subs and Pasta in White Plains. That’s about as far as his gastronomical repertoire expanded. Until Saturday, that is.
On a foray to Nyack, my husband and I decided that we were going to have a Saturday afternoon lunch that didn’t feature anything that came on a bun or cut into eighths. We ventured to the “Thai House”:http://www.thaihousenyack.com/, a delightfully cozy place that was obviously once a diner. There, my 13-year-old studied the menu, asking about Pad Thai, duck and other dishes. My 8-year-old seemed initially content with water.
Now don’t get me wrong: My younger son isn’t a complete food Neanderthal. He LOVES Chinese food. Well, he thinks he does. Basically, he eats fried chicken wings and fried rice. Just like they make in old Shanghai. Right.
We chose Thai, thinking that seeing some rice on the plate would encourage him to try some other foods. You’re now thinking, “Ha! Fat chance.” You’re wrong! He actually loved the sauteed jumbo shrimp, chicken, pork, snow peas and broccoli, cauliflower in garlic sauce, along with the Thai-style fried rice. And he gobbles up the wontons and spring rolls. He ate baby corn! And asked me to buy some for dinner this week!
So the introduction to something different went well, this time.
How do you introduce new foods to your kids?
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007 at 4:31 pm by Gayle T. Williams.
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Category: Eating, Parenting, Teenagers, Tweens
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It took me a loooong time to get used to different tastes. Spicy just wasn’t an option when I was a child. But when I got older, I started bit by bit to learn what went into foods and that helped (I’m still a bit slow to warm up to new things).
Maybe you should try having him cook somethings that are related to things he likes, but includes things that he doesn’t like. Food’s less mysterious when you know what’s in there.
BTW, I’m really glad to know that Thai House is still there in that old diner car! It’s the first Thai resturant I ever went to and I remember it fondly.
Our pediatrician said the earlier, the better. If your kids have all sorts of foods at a really early age, they’re more likely to eat different things. We started giving our toddler our food as soon as he was old enough to eat more than puree. He doesn’t like things mixed together (wants all his food separate on his plate, preferably only one type of food on his plate at a time), though.
Our six-month-old, however, is a different story. I think if we pureed cardboard, he’d eat it. I don’t think we’ll have ANY problem with his food choices if this keeps up. He doesn’t hesitate when we give him any new food.
Me, on the other hand, we didn’t have spicy food in the house growing up because my dad didn’t like food with flavor. I only started enjoying spicy foods as an adult, well into my 20s.
gayle,
why did you make me hungry for goat? hmm oxtails…..
Easy I tell me kids they have to try something at least once or twice. before deciding its nasty. I have the opposite issue. My daughter has gotten on this kick that things she liked she no longer likes. like beans. I mean all kinds of beans. which makes rice and peas out of the question,chili out of the question pasta fagioli out of the question .. but guess what. tough i still make it. needs of the many out weigh the needs of the one being picky!
;-]
With Pumpkin, we’re doing the same thing that Amy does with her kids. She eats what we eat most of the time, which means it could be Italian chicken with green peppers (like last night), Chinese takeout, Indian and even spicy Mexican foods. The other day I was giving her a scrambled egg and she rejected it halfway through, but when I put a little salsa on it, she eagerly ate the rest of it. I have found that she’s a big fan of novelty, so anything new is greeted with interest.
Once a child is older, I know it can be hard to introduce new things. I have nephews who I know can be hard to separate from foods like chicken fingers, etc.
I think D.F.’s suggestion about encouraging your sons to cook is terrific. There are great kids’ cookbooks, and your younger son in particular might really enjoy trying his hand at being the “chef” for the night. I know you all make a big push to eat family meals, so maybe this will be ideal for you.
My daughter is in love with rachel Ray. and her kids cookbook.
I have my kids help me cook. If they’ve participated in it, they’re more likely to try it. Also, in our house, we use the concept of the “No thank you portion”. When I offer them food and they say no thank you, that just means they get one or two spoonfuls of it that they MUST try. If they don’t like it, fine. They don’t have to take anymore. But they can’t say they don’t like it if they’ve never tried it. I introduced this concept from the very beginning. I’m not sure how it would go over if you introduced it to older kids all of a sudden!
Oh my goodness, Doreen! I remember my parents offering me “No thank you portions”! And you’re right – that’s how I came to try—and like—a lot of new foods. That’s a good concept to return to with my younger son. Thanks so much!
I have to say that if parents introduced a large array of food to their children from the beginning, they will look forward to trying different food. There is always going to be something that someone doesn’t like, however, allowing children to feast on junk foods and only limited nutritional foods, as they see fit, is a big mistake. I don’t believe children should have food forced on them, as I did as a child, but I do think that they should not be allowed to stick their noses up at everything that doesn’t appeal to them.
As the other writers suggested, having children participate in the preparation and cooking of the foods is absolutely necessary. It not only teaches them to cook and be independent, as the writer suggested, it also broadens their food horizons.
I am a grandmother of 11 kids. They all have had eating quirks of one type or another, but none like my 9 year old granddaughter. She eats cheese pizza, grilled cheese, corn on the cob (not off), french fries (no ketchup), anthing with high carb/salt content (chips, goldfish, tortillas), cheerios, milk (lots), apples, chocolate (cookies, cakes, brownies, ice cream) – no other fruit – no vegetables other than corn – NO meat or fish, occasionally a chicken McNugget. This is IT. If you ask her to try something new (1/2 tsp.), she does it, runs to the bathroom and vomits. If there is a bad smell, she vomits. This is not due to any psychological issue about body appearance as she is a gymnist and looks healthy and is very strong. How do we get her to try new foods?
I agree with you man.
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